Apparatus for transporting ingots



Juy 23, 1935. J. l.. ADAMS. JR

APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING INGOTS 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR J. .Ulu/k 1MM will Wllll E lfl il lwnl m l d .mlwnwwit 3 I lf n FL Il j m H M im am 5 5 F F i z -l E. 1| 2 r Il@ s -a #7 ULI Jm /Q ..,i E Tl, www il@ lll1l Il z. l/ l l|\ |11 [I 3 w @M v K1 y. 1M

July 23, 1935. J. L. ADAMS. .1R

APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING INGOTS F'iled Jan, 17, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2those of the customary Patented July 23, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENToFFicr.g

Application January 17,

21 Claims.

The present invention relates broadly to the art of handling materialspreparatory to rolling, and more particularly to the transport of eithercircular or straight metal ingots from the ingot soaking-pit, orequivalent temperature-equalizing furnace, to a rolling mill, such, forexample,v as thatshown and described in my co-pending application,Serial #674,661, led June 7th, 1933, although it might conceivably beutilized with other types of mill also, if desired.

One of the objects of the present invention is to assist in cutting thecost of longplates, by lowering the time and expense of handling themetal ingots or slabs used in the rolling, and incidentally increasingthe possible output tonnage from a single mill. y

Another object is to make the handling of the metal between the heatequalizing device and the mill, or other recipient of the material, asnearly automatic as possible, and so conserve operative man power at thecontrol pulpits. v

kAn important object is to make the ingot-feed to the mill as thoroughlyinterlocked as possible, to avoid chance of errors of judgment arising,as in the case ofl a full manual control, where the operator has anumber of machines on his mind, all functioning together or insubstantial rotation, so that chances of confusion are accentuated bythe many controls involved; or more operators must be brought in toreduce the number of controls each has to handle, but thereby increasingmill costs once more.

A further object is to -provide an ingot buggy or carriage which can beused with my rolling mill, either when it is operating with ring ingots,or straight type, -or both in close succession. l

Other objects of importance willbe evidentvto anyone skilled in the artto which my invention appertains.

With all the above and other objects in mind, I have provided a meansfor quickly transporting heated ring or straight ingots from furnace tomill and delivering such ingots at the latter, ready for rolling, in thebriefest possible time, and with the chances of error in the handlingreduced to the ultimate minimum.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a preferred form ofmy invention, while Figure 2 shows the same in rear elevation, andFigure 3 isa plan view of the apparatus concerned. Figure 4 illustratesa typical mill oor plan, showing one possible layout for the furnace androlling mill equipment, with the inter-connecting 1933, Serial No.652,142

ingot-buggy railway vupon which my present invention operates.

Figure 5 shows a typical form of wiring dia-Y gram for my automaticingot-buggy, although of course the latter maybe operated by hand if sopreferred, without devia-ting from thevspirit or letter of my invention.Figures 6 to 9 show track details. Vj

In all the figures, identical partsare designated by the same partnumbers. l

These drawings are shown for the purpose of illustration only, and notas determining the liniits of my invention, or of its possibleapplications, and illustrate a type of apparatus which may convenientlybe utilized in connection with an ingot soaking-pit, or with anl ingotheat-equalizing furnace, such, for example, as that shown and describedin my {zo-pending application, v'Serial No. 655,185, filed February 4th,1933, which refers specifically to ring-ingots, but which mightvconceivably be so modified as to take the, customary straight ingots, aswell, and thus avoid the duplication of expensive mill equipment.

In accordance with the presentinvention, and

referring now more particularly to Figure l, there may be provided anapparatus including a moving carriage I, mounted on the hanged-wheels 2,and running on track 3, said wheels 2 being driven through thel usualreduction gearing 4, by the motor 5, preferably equipped with a suitableelectro-magnetic automatic brake 6, Ythe motor current supply being thruthe third rail 'I, and spring or weight operated sliding shoe 8,flexibly mo-unted upon projecting arm 9, carried by suitable insulationSia. Abrake-pad is shown at IIS.

. Carriage I is provided at I I with convenient means for'rotatablysupporting a ring-ingot I2' in transit, the rotational drive beingindicated at I3, properly meshed with a gear I4 .on the forward maindriving axle of the ingot-buggy.k An arm for nally lifting thering-ingot into'position in line with the lower roll'of the mill isindicated at I5, arranged for operation throughy the connecting rod I6,by the one-half revolution crank-arm Il, mounted upon gear-shaft oroffset crank-shaft It, in' turn driven by the wormwheel I9, orequivalent device, functionedby motor E!! through appropriatevr worm orpinion 2|. Arm I5 is carried upon the heavy pin'22.

The part-revolution control of crank-arm Il will be given in connectionwith a later figure. Suitable means for retaining the ring-ingot inposition axially during its transport is indicated vat 23, carrying thesmall roller 24.

The top face of my ingot-buggy is made up ofY the live-roll table 25,consisting oi a multiplicity of rolls, intergeared by the intermediates26.

Due to space limitations on the figure, the motor drive, reductiongearing, and part of the inter-mediates of this live-roll system are notshown, but consist or" well known elements anyway, except possibly as tothe connections used, which will be indicated in a subsequent figure,which will also show the means used to slow down the ingot-buggy as itapproaches either of the two ends of its travel.

A ring-ingot ia in proper raised position is shown aligned withmill-roll 2l, and a straight ingot, or a siab heated ready for rolling,is indicated at 28, while at 29 I have shown the vertical position ofthe spur-track which runs to the outer or entering-end oi the overhungmill-live-roll table 3Q, for delivery of fiat-slabs or ingots thereon,ready for rolling in the mill 3i, which has the customary non-overhungtype of live-roll table 32 on its out-going side, 3D, 3l and 32 beingnormally oiC the reversing form if the mill happens to be of thetwo-high type, as shown.

A positive limit-stop is indicated at 33, for safety, although myingot-buggy will ordinarily have been brought to a stop just ahead ofthis point by the extra wheels 2a, the track 3a, brakepad IQ, and theautomatic means all to be referred to later. It will of course beunderstood. that a ring and a straight ingot will not normally be bothpresent at the same trip of carriage.

In addition to the apparatus shown in Figure l, my ingot-buggy will.also contain various switching and contacter elements appropriate to itsautomatic operation, and/or, hand-operation if desired, but these willbe better shown in connection with the wiring-diagram to follow in alater figure. One mill-shoe is shown at 34.

Referring now to Figure 2, which is a View looking toward the mill fromthe right side of Figure l, no new parts are brought into prominence,and no further points introduced which require explanation here, exceptthe lifting-ears 29, the extra wheels 2a, and track 3a.

In Figure 3, likewise, no new parts appear, to require explanation. l

In Figure 4, the rolling mill 3l, with its overhung type of enteringlive-rolls 30, plain exit liveroll table 32, pinion-box 35, gearreduction unit 36, and variable-speed reversing motor drive 37, togetherwith the appropriate ingot-buggy tracks 3 and 29 for the transport ofcircular, and of iiat ingots, respectively, are shown.

The selection of the appropriate track will be by well known switchingmeans, normally operated by hand, so it need not be referred to furtherhere.

One form or furnace for heating circular ingots, or equalizing the heattherein, is indicated at 3S, with selective pushers at 39, and storagespace at 4u, while at 4| I have shown a preferred form of my centrifugalcasting unit, adapted to the rapid production of densecentrifugally-cast ring-ingots of jarred metal, having great uni--formity of chemical and physical structure throughout, as covered morein detail in my copending application thereon, Serial No. 680,570, iledJuly 15, 1933, and my ingot application Serial #649,181, led on December28, 1932.

It is believed that the various successive stations around thiscentrifugal casting unit need not be gone into in detail here, or itsgeneral type of construction elaborated upon, in view of the readyreference which can be made to the appropriate application covering thissubject.

In the upper right hand section of Figure 4, I have indicated anappropriate layout for casting iiat or straight ingots, or slabs, in thecustomary vertical moulds 42, carried on the ingot-train 43, here shownover the jarring station 44, along which moves step-by-step thehot-metal bottompouring ladle 45, and which train, after a suiiicientpause to permit ingot sub-surface solidiication and substantialelimination of gases and non-metallics, is moved on by appropriatewellknown means to the stripper station 46, and then to the soaking pitposition 4l, where the ingots are transferred to the pits by thecustomary pitcranes, (not shown, as being of usual construction). Afterproper equalization of the heat, and bringing to correct finaltemperature for rolling, the successive straight ingots are deposited bythese same pit-cranes on the top roll-table 25 of my ingot-buggy I, at apoint near the soakingpit end of railway 29, which is here equipped withappropriate speed-reducing means and limitstops for my ingaat-buggy, thefunctions of which will be brought out more clearly in connection withthe next figures.

The hot-metal tracks are carried well beyond the soaking-pits to providethe necessary storage trackage 48 for mould servicing andre-habilitation, as well as for temporary ingot storage; The layout hadto be considerably fore-shortened in 'the two locations 49 and 5D, asindicated by the break lines here, in order to get Within the limitlines of the sheet. This layout is subject to modi; iication, however.

Referring now to Figure 5, we note, in addition to parts already coveredin previous igures, the driving motor 5I, and its reduction gearing 52,and series magnetic brake coil 53,'for functioning the top live-rolltable 25 of my ingotbuggy, and all connected in parallel with thedriving motor I5, of the mill entering-end live roll table 30, thru thesmall side trolley-wheel with retaining spring 55, and arm 56, allmounted on the insulating base 51 at rear end of ingotbuggy, andcontacting with the very short section of trolley wire 58, appropriatelymounted near the approach to said live-roll table 30 only, at properheight and to one side of the track 29, so that when ingot-buggy islocated here close up to this table, its top live rolls will befunctioned as soon as operator in pulpit starts up the rolls Sil, thusdelivering a new ingot or flat-slab from table 25 to the latter millfeed rolls.

The connection from trolley wire to mill roll motor is shown at 59, theopposite sides of motors being shown as grounded, for the sake of simuplicity in the diagram, although such return lines will, of course,normally be insulated.

The two short sections of similar trolley wire 60 and 6l are, however,located so as to make contact with the similar trolley-wheels F52 andonly when my ingot-buggy is run in on track 3 under the live-roll table30 and in position for delivery of a circular ingot l2 over the lowerroll 2l of mill', while the short trolley-wire @d close when they mainmill-roll 2l is in its outermost or removed position, and its innermostor running position, respectively, and that wire l!!V likewise connectsdirectly with the furnaceend trolley-wire 64, through the startingpushbutton 68, locatedin soaking-pit-control operators pulpit or nearthe furnaceSB, as desired.

Trolley-arm 65 has an integral-extension contact 69, which is rnormallyclosed to ground as shown,v except when the ingot-buggy is atfurnace-end of line, with arm 65 depressed by the short wire 64 to thedotted position-indicated.l

All these trolley-arms are equipped with appropriate spring returns 55,and suitable stops, (snot shown) to limit the travel to about that shownin each case.

Trolley-arm and wheel 62 connects through one shunt coil 11a ofsingle-pole contactor -llll and lead |08 to brush 1| which bears on thesubstantially 180 degree contact timing-segment 12, located upon thepart-revolution gear 13, but insulated therefrom. Trolley 63 connectsthrough a second shunt coil 11b on contactor 1U, to brush 14, located atsuch a radius from gear-shaft I8, as to contact properly with segment16, normally just a little under a half-circle inextent, and positionedabout as shown.

A third shunt-coil 11c on above contactor 19, is connected in theline|85 from the lower righthand contact of double-pole, double-throw switch18, to brush 19, in turn positioned to contact only with the shortsegment 89 on gear 13, positioned about as shown. Brush 8| bears on thering 82, which feeds all the timing-segments just above mentioned, andis in turn connected through line 83, to wire 84, leading from contactor18 to one pole of hand operated safety-switch 85, placed under pad-lock86, inside cover of box 81. The live side of this switch 85 leads toinsulated thirdrail collector orshoe 8. Double-throw switch 'i8 is soarranged as to be thrown by the arm 88op-I erated either by the roller89, or bya handle on saine axis therewith, as desired, and built to stopin any one of the three notch positions shown, marked Fal for forward,Rv for reverse, and off respectively. This constitutes the travellimit-switch of the ingot-buggy, and at mill-end of tracks 8 or 29 willbe functioned by a properly located side cam 99 which throws roll 89 toits upper level, while at furnace-end of track an inverted similar cam9| will cause the downward throw of switch.`

It will be noted that these cams will permit a slight or evenconsiderable over-running of the ingot-buggy Without injury to the partsoperated', although co-ordinated means' will be used to assureithat suchover-running will not occur.

` Thus in series with the heavy main shunt eld coil 92, of the maintravel motor 5, of the 4:1 variable speed D. C. type, I have placed thespeed rcontrol rheostat 93, whose operating arm 94 is normally held inthe F or fast position by the heavy spiral spring but which may betemporarily depressed to the lower or S slow position by a properlypositioned sidecam 95, a reversed duplicate of which is positioned nearthe other end of track, also, so as to contact with and push down roll9B, and thus slow down the carriage as the terminal limits of travel areapproached, and well before switch 18 has to function. f

To make doubly sure that the normal fairly y high speed of travel of theingot-car or buggy will the much smaller diameter wheels 2a, andtherefore again slowing down the Speed.- In case this l readily functionwith a stationary spring-pressed kbrake-shoe of cast-iron properlypositioned between the tracks as required; and arranged preferably so asto make pressure contact only as the carriage is approaching'the end ofits travel, 'but not as the latter is accelerating in the oppositedirection. This will be shown in a succeeding figure, along withadjusting means therefor. Y

The remaining terminal of contactor 19 connects directly to one brushlead of ingot-lift motor 20, the remaining brush connecting thru seriesfield coil 91 to ground, or other return lead. Points 98, 99, and |08indicate approximately the three normal stop positions of offsetcrank-shaft I8, as it moves through one revolution total in direction ofthe arrow. Shunt coils and |92 function the double-pole, double-throwcontactor |08 in such wise as to reverse the armature lconnections |84and |95 of main travel motor 5, in Well known manner, the contactortravel being down for forward and up for reverse motion of carriage, asindicated by the Fd and Ro markings. Coil lill connects through lead |06to timing brush 19, and at opposite end to upper right-hand terminal ofswitch 18,the right-hand middle terminal of which connects to ground, orcommon return line. p The left middle terminal of this switchconnects'direct to trolley-arm 65 at its swivel-point, while lowerleft-hand terminal of 18 runs via wire |81 through the forward shuntcoil l2, of contactor |88 to connect with line |88 leading to timingbrush 1|.

AV tap from line |81 connects to lower re-k taining-contact |89 oncontactor |93, and thence to ground, or return line. Lower-right andupper-right terminals of |03 go also to ground, while both left handkcontacts go through the Ilight series-coil (if any), of motor 5, throughmagnetic-brake coil 6 to top'terminal of safety switch 85, with branchltaken 01T to one end of main variable shunt-coil 92 of this same motor,thence to the speed-Varying rheostat 93, and through it to ground. Y

This completes my preferred form of connections, although substitutewiring might easily be devised to accomplish the same ends.

It is believed that the general mode oi operation Will .bel selfevident, but in order to comply rwith requirements of the rules, I willcarry the ingot-car through one complete cycle of operation, assumingthe timing-brushes on crank-shaft I8 to be' positioned as shown, switch85 closed, but carriage moved out to right-hand or furnace-end of track3, and contacting only with trolley-wire 54, while cam 9| will havethrown switch 18 down by operating its arm 88 through roll 89.

Now, an ingot of circular typehaving been placed on the support l, justover the ingotlifting arm I5, and it being assumed that mill roll 21 hasbeen already withdrawn fully so as to close the limit-contact 68, thenas soon as auxiliary contact 5S, leaving circuit to be completed throughpush-button 68, line H2, through mill-roll limit switch 66 to ground, orreturn line.

Coil Idil now energizing, contactor |03 is thrown down to forwardrunning position, closing the retaining contacts |59 from line |01direct to ground, and permitting current flow from switch 55 throughseries coil 8 of brake and III) of motor 5to lower throw of mainreversing-contactor contacts |03 into and out of armature through |64and E95 and to ground, it being noted that the main shut coil 92 of thismotor has been alive from the time switch 85 was closed. This motortherefore starts up in the forward direction, whereupon the trolley-arm65 leaves trolley-wire 64, closing auxiliary contact 69 to ground, as anadded precaution to prevent any chattering at contacts |99 from stopping the forward travel. Now shunt-field rheostat arm Sli and roll 96leave the furnace-end cam 95, and spring III pulls arm 94 up to the F orfast position, while the small wheels 2a of Figure 2 leav-e theirstub-track sections 3a, as wheels 2 contact with the regular track 3,again accelerating the ingot-buggy, and it now proceeds on tothemill-end of track.

As it nears the mill, side-cam 95 depresses rheostat-arm iid to the slowor S position, the wheels 2 leave the track 3, smaller wheels 2a engagewith track 3a, and if desired the castiron brake shoe may be set to wipethe brakepad lil under pressure, all together acting to bring thecarriage down to a very slow speed as it enters in under the mill 3| andthe over-hung entering live-roll table 3B.

As carriage now reaches the travel-limit cam SG located at one side ofthe track and toward rear end of carriage I, said cam throws switch 18to its upper throw position, thereby opening the circuit of lower orforward coil of contactor |03, and allowing liat spring I I3 on latterto return its moving element to neutral position, de-energizing motor 5,and its series brake-coil 6, throwing on this brake 6 and suddenlybringing the carriage I to a halt, in precision position immediatelyunder the mill.

As the timing-brush 19 is not now connected to a segment on crank-shaftI8 or gear 13, the upper shunt-coil IGI of contactor |03 can not yetbecome energized, but mill-roll 21 being in withdrawn position, itslimit-contact 66 will be still closed, so that a circuit can be tracedfrom the live upper terminal of switch 85, through wires 84 and 83, tobrush 8|, ring 82, segment 12, brush 1|, line |08, through uppershunt-coil 11a of ingot-lift motor contactor 1|), trolley-arm 62,trolley-wire Bil, line H2, mill-roll limit contact 66, to ground, orreturn line.

This leads to the energization of contactor 10, closing circuit fromswitch 85, through line 84, the vcontacter' terminals, ingot-lift motor2li, series-coil 91 to ground, or return line, so that this motor nowstarts up, lifting the ring-ingot into precision alignment with thelower millroll position, at which point timing-brush 1| passes fromsegment 12, opening up contactor 1li, and stopping motor 2|).

Nothing further now happens, until mill-roll 21 has been retracted fullyto its normal running position within the mill, when the limit-contact61 is forced to close, whereupon a circuit can be traced from top ofswitch 85, through wires 84 vand 83, to brush 8|, ring 82, segment 16,brush 14, through middle shunt-coil 11b of contactor 10, to trolley-arm63, trolley-wire 6|,

through line ||4 to and through limit-contact v61, to ground, againstarting up the ingot-lift motor 20, which now runs until brush 14leaves its segment 18, and once more stops this motor, leaving the armI5 almost in its down position, and bringing brush 19 into` contact withthe very short segment 80.

Switch 18 having been thrown up at the time carriage was brought to ahalt, no circuit can be now traced through any coil of contacter 1li,but one can be laid out from the now live brush 19, through lead |06 tothe upper or reverse shunt-coil IBI, of contactor |83, and on throughthe upper-right terminal of switch 18, down to its centre point andground.

Contactor |03 therefore closes upward, or in reverse throw, and motor 5again starts up slowly, but with its armature leads reversed, so thatcarriage backs out away from the mill, the other speeding up factorstaking place as explained before, and in proper sequence, so that theingot-car speedily runs out to the furnace end of track, often a veryconsiderable distance away from the mill proper, and as before isbrought to a gradual and accurate stop there, about as has beendescribed in detail for the forward direction of its travel.

in case a flat-ingot 28 is to be delivered instead of a ring, the trackswitches are set manually to run the ingot-buggy in upon track 29 anddirectly up in line with the mill live-roll table 35, with the ingot-carroller table 25 close thereto and lat the same level therewith, whilethe only trolley-arm now contacting will be the top one, 5d, whichconnects herewith trolley-wire 58, appropriately positioned, and whichplaces my liveroll table motor 5| directly in parallel with the drivingmotor 15, of the mill live-roll table, so that operator of latter canlikewise function the live-roll table of my carriage, as required todeliver the new slab.

In this case, the mill roll 21 does not have to be removed, so thatcarriage I can be returned immediately to furnace-end as soon as slabhas left its table 25.

An easy way to accomplish this is to add here two small trolley-wiressimilar to 63 and 6| previously mentioned, and set to contact with trolleys E2 and 63, just as before, but with both of these two trolley-wiresections connected together and then through va starting push-button atmill operators pulpit, to ground.

On delivery of a new slab to the mill live-roll table 3U, he pressesthis button for the few seconds required, causing ingot-lift motor 20 toidle through its usual stages, as before outlined, and in sequence nallystarting the ingot-car back toward furnace-end of track, as alreadyexplained in detail.

If, at any time, switch 1B is thrown by hand to its centre, or offposition, the car will be held idle, until this is again thrown inproper direction.

Or safety-switch 85 can be locked open if preferred. It is understoodthat all the separate slowing-down means cited need not be utilized onany one ingot-car, necessarily, but have been described so as to fairlywell cover the subject, and it is probable that further extended studymay lead to a material simplification of the wiring diagram, but stillwithout departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

With moderate and evident changes, my ingot-car might be adapted toalternating current motor, or even to steam or other 'type of engineverse cross section of main track 3, and upper stub-track 3a, on oneside of rear end of ingotcar and -at mill end of track, and showinglarger wheel 2, and smaller Wheel 2a in rear elevation, I have indicatedhow the entrance of smaller wheel upon its track causes the larger toclear track 3, thus leading to a prompt reduction in speed ci travel ofthe car.

This is easy for one axle, but in order to readily accomplish it for twosets of wheels in tandem, the driving gear on the front wheel axle isgiven about one or two teeth more than the gear required for rear axle,and the two respective wheels made in slightly larger and smallerdiameters respectively, so that the front wheel will run in clear to endof track 3 and not contact with the upper track 3a until then, or untilthe same instant that rear wheel rides up on the short track 3a. This isbrought out better in the side-view shown inl elevation in Figure 7,where the diametral differences have been exaggerated in order to makethe action clear. Here HSindicates the front large wheel,` H6 the smallwheel there, while the rear large wheel is indicated at 2, and the smallwheel here at 2a. But having the rear large wheel 2 smaller than thefront wheel I l5, does not work outv well at the other end of track,where the furnaces are located. c So advantage is taken here of theheavy flange II'I, on the rear wheel 2, to lift the carriage slightly,for the few rst feet of length of travel onto the terminal track sectionH8, or until the trailing axle reaches the latter. v Y

Thus the lower main track H9 is here made for a few feet of the groovedtype, as shown in cross section in Figure 8, and the flange II'I of rearlarge wheel 2 is purposely turned to such a diameter as to contacttherewith and raise this wheel well off of the vupper track I I8,untilthe grooved track H9 terminates, at whichtime the4 rear small wheel2a drops slightlyinto bearing on upper track I I 8, at the same instantthat fronttsmall wheel H6 of ingot-car rst strikes the end of track H8.The flange |20 of .front large wheel H5 is purposely turned to too smalla diameter to contact lat all with the groove. in rail H9. Y

By the means cited both smaller wheels contact with the upper stub-trackat the same instant, and at either end of the run between furnaces andmill. f

In Figure 9, and wheel conditions at the furnace endofline, where thegrooved rail is utilized, are brought out plainly.

In both Figures '7 and 9 it will be observed that.r the leading wheelsto enter upon the upper lstubtrack section in the direction indicated bythe arrows, do not contact at all with the upper track until the,trailing wheels of thel carriage contact therewith, at the same instantsubstantially. n

It willbe self-evident that a change-gear operated by a side cam such as9U or 95, might be used to replace the auxiliary upper track and smallWheel system cited. I have vshown `the special trackage system as mypreferredfarrangement, however, because of. its relative sturdiness andlack of parts liable to cause maintenance diiiiculties, or expense,under oft-repeated functioningand-.severe service.

taken in side elevation, the track:

in the art, that a purely manually operated carriage might besubstitutedfor my' preferred fully automatic type of machine, withoutdeparting fromr the spirit of my invention, and indeed I have providedfor such hand operation at switch 88, if so preferred, a suitablerear-.end step, or a seat, being then added for the operator, of course,as

farv away from the white-hot ingots as possible..

The variable-speed rheostat arm 95, may have an operating handle also,placed in line with the roll 9S, if so desired, and the whole mounted soas to be well within thereach of an operator on the car.

Further referring toFgure 9, I have shown at HSI a cast-iron brake-shoesuitable for contacting under pressure with the brake-pad Ill ofcarriager I, as previously mentioned. Mounting links forv said shoe areshown at |22, attached to convenient base 23, and heldagainst thelimit-stop |24, by means of the spring I25, in such Wise that full`contact pressure will be developed between IE! and il forthe slowingdown direction of travel of the car I, but practically no retardationintroduced during the accelerationin reverse direction, as carriageleaves' the terminal position. l

Means for adjusting the vdecelerating brake pressure exerted upon thepad III, is indicated by the adjusting bolt I 26, provided with nut |21,and lock-washer I 28.

Instead of the electrical interlock contacts which I have utilized todetermine that the mill was ready to receive a ring-ingot, Lbefore itwas possible to start my ingot-buggy in the direction of the mill, itwill be self-evident that any number of mechanical, or pneumaticinterlocks might be devised for ,this purpose, but in general I pre` ferthose4 of the electrical type, as being more` certain of operation.

Certain very definite operative advantages accrue from the use of myingot-carriage, in that it is capable of delivering either ringorstraight ingots, or fiat slabs,to the mill directly, at high speeds,low cost, and with the rings under slow rotation so that they will notcool down in spots, at the points of support. v Y c `Still furtheradvantages accrue from the fact that my invention is capable ofdelivering ringingots with precision, and inv rapid succession, right upinto place in a continuous belt mill, such as that covered by myco-pending application.

Further important advantages accrue from the use of the rapidaccelerating and decelerating automatic means provided, and the definitel. In a circular-ingot transporting car, the

combination comp-rising a power-driven carriage,

energy-supply means therefor, accelerating and decelerating meansoperative at start and end of each run respectively, carriage reversingmeans,

circular-ingot supporting means, an automatic travel limit-stop, andinterlock means co-ordi-l nating the start of carriage with thepreparedness of mill to-receive a new ingot.

2. In a circular-ingot transporting system, the combinationof an ingotrolling mill, a substantially automatic power-driven ingot-carriage,energy-supply means therefor, multi-step. automatic accelerating meansat start, and multi-step4 decelerating means operative at end of eachrun, automatic limit-stop means operative after deceleration,interlocked automatic ingot-delivery means into mill, and automaticreversal-of-travel means operative after ingot delivery.

3. In an ingot transporting system, the combination comprising alive-roll type of support for nat-slabs, a separate live-roll supportfor circular ingots, a substantially automatic power-driven carriagemounting both of said supports, and automatic interlock means delayingthe start of carriage until mill roll system is prepared to receive thetransported metal material.

4. A hot-ingot transport system comprising a substantially automaticingot-car, energy-supply means therefor, automatic decelerating,stopping and reversing means therefor, ingot-delivery means operative atmill-end of the travel, and an automatic interlock co-ordinating theapproach of car with the preparedness of mill to receive the transportedmaterial.

5. A hot-ingot transport system comprising a power-operable transportcar, energy-supply means therefor, power-driven roller supports carryingsaid ingot, interlock timed and power-operable ingot delivery means, anda co-ordinating interlock operative to start said delivery means whenmill is ready to receive the material.

6. An ingot transport system comprising a power-operable transport car,a source of energysupply therefor, an interlock controlled startingmeans, an operation-sequence determining means, and an ingot deliverymeans controlled by this last mentioned means.

7. An ingot-transporting apparatus comprising an interlock operatedstarting device, automatic speed accelerating means of two distinctco-ordinated types, an automatic ingot-transport carriage acceleratedthereby, speed decelerating means operative on said carriage thereafter,a subsequently operative travel limit stop, and properly timedingot-delivery means operative at the stop position.

8. An ingot transporting apparatus comprising a manually controlledstarting device, a poweroperable metal-transport car controlled thereby,successively operable accelerating and decelerating mechanismsdetermining the point-to-point speeds of said car, a travel-limit stopprecisely determining the ingot delivery position of said car, and anoperation-sequence determining mechanism co-ordinating the successivemovements of car and the period of ingot delivery at end of the travelthereof.

9. An ingot transporting apparatus comprising a power-propellableingot-car, a source of power supply therefor, automatic accelerating anddecelerating means, automatic stop and travel reversing means, ingotdelivery means, a manually controlled initial starting means, and anoperation-sequence timing device determining the succession of motionsin both directions of car travel and the delivery of an ingot at properpoint of the said travel.

l0. An ingot transporting car comprising a power-propelled carriage, asource of power supply therefor, a manually controlled starting devicefor said carriage, a plurality of safety interlocks, and a timing deviceoperative under the control thereof, and together therewith determiningthe safe sequence of successive travel and ingot-delivery operations andthe return to initial starting position of said car.

11. An ingot transporting car comprising a power-propelled travelingcarriage. ingot carrying means, travel-limit determining means, ingotdelivery means, car reversing and returning means, a timing meansdetermining the successive operations, and a cam operable devicestopping said car near original starting point.

12. An ingot delivery car comprising a powerpropelled travelingcarriage, ingot carrying and final delivery means, and anoperation-sequence timer coordinating the forward travel, stoppage,ingot delivery, return and final cam operated halting of the saidcarriage at proper ret rn position.

13. An ingot transport car comprising interlock controlled startingdevices, co-ordinated with a manual starting means, and substantiallyautomatic accelerating, slowing-down, precision stopping, ingotdelivery, reverse starting, and final travel terminating means,co-ordinated in proper dennite sequence by a timer.

14; In an ingot-transport system, the combination comprising apower-propelled carriage, interlock-controlled manual starting meanstherefor, limit-stop controlled ingot-positioning means at mill,automatic ingot-delivery means, and a travel reversing means and returnlimit-stop, all properly co-ordinated by an' operation-sequencedetermining timer.

15. An ingot transport system comprising a power-propelled ingot-car,manually controlled starting means therefor, a circular-ingot supportmounted on said ingot-car, a travel limit-stop means determining finalcar position at mill-end of run, subsequently operative ingot-deliverymeans operable at mill-end of travel and under safety interlock control,and car reversing means controllable by outside signal determined bylongitudinal return of mill-,roll to rolling position.

16. An ingot transport mechanism comprising a power-propelled ingot-car,a properly timable initial starting means therefor, substantiallyautomatic stopping, ingot-delivery, and car-reversing means, anautomatic operation-sequence timer properly co-ordinating the above, andan automatic nal stopping means functionable at point close to initialstarting position.

17. An ingot transporting means, comprising a power propellablemulti-speed transport carriage, a live-roll flat-ingot receiving anddelivery table operatively mounted on top of said carriage, acucular-ingot supporting arm mounted on one end of said carriage andentirely separate from said liver-roll table, and separate manualcontrols operatively connected to included power means to function saidlive-roll table, and to raise said supporting arm, as required, fortheir selective operation.

18. A hollow-circular-ingot transporting means, comprising a powerpropellable transport carriage, a combinedcircular-ingot supporting andpower-rotatingmeans providing slow-rotation of said'ingot about itsYlongitudinal generating' axis, to obviate localized cooling at thesupport positions, a precision limit-stop operative atA mill position ofsaid carriage to longitudinally align said circular-ingot with one rollaxis of said mill, and included means operative to vertically align saidingot with the axis of said roll, as required for threading thereover. ni

' 19. An ingot transporting means, comprising a power propellabletraveling carriage, a flat-ingot live-roll system mounted on saidcarriage, a separate circular-ingot carrying meansprovided with includedmeans operative to slowly rotate said circular-ingot during transport, atrackpositioned on input side of a rolling-mill and providing properalignment of said carriage horizontally for delivery of ingot from saidlive-roll system to the usual entering live-rolls of mill, and aseparate track positioned on entering side of said rolling mill andproviding proper alignment of a circular hollow ingot on said carryingmeans with the axis of one roll of mill, when required.

20. An ingot transport means, comprising a power propellable travelingcarriage, a lat-ingot live-roll system mounted upon said carriage,connecting means operative to control the motion of said systemmanually, a separate ring-ingot carrying-means mounted at a lower levelon same carriage than said live-roll system, and included meansproviding for accurate alignment of a ringingot removably mounted uponsaid carryingmeans, with axis of one roll of a rolling-mill into whichsaid ring-ingot is enterable by threading a previously removed rolltherethrough.

21. An ingot transport means, comprising a power propellable multi-speedtransport carriage, a klive-roll flat-ingot delivery table operativelymounted on top of said carriage, a circular-ingot support means mountedon one end of said carriage and entirely below the line of saidlive-roll table, and connected control meansoperative to delivernat-ingots in line with entering pass of a rolling mill from saidlive-roll table, and cir-,

cular hollow ingots in position for threading over

